Saturday, December 22, 2012

Christmas holiday,
finally. At last, I should have enough time to talk about all the
interesting teas that have been accumulating on my shelf for quite a
while.

Let's start with yet
another Katahira – or let's get back to Katahira, to be more
accurate. Here's a tea from this great Nunosawa, Shizuoka-based
producer I haven't talked about yet – a tea, which is, among his
classic Senchas, presumably of the highest grade.

Purchased from Pu-erh.sk
quite a while ago, Sencha Kaori was picked in May 2012 and is a blend
of four different breeds - 30% Ó Iwase, 30% Meiryoku, 20%
Yamanoibuki, 20% Saemidori.

Its leaves are long,
light-steamed shiny green needles, very beautiful and obviously
processed with great amount of care. They have a sweet, fine smell;
one that is fresh, fruity and creamy.

The first infusion is
light-yellow in color and gets gradually more opaque as it cools
down. Its taste is sweet, very refined, deep and complex – from
tones of ripe fruit, such as pears and gooseberries, to sweet cream,
milk and vivid umami, almost reminiscent of half-shaded or shaded
teas. These notes are continued in a long, mouth-filling aftertaste,
again very deep and sweet, though also fresh and very fruity.

The second infusion is
yellowish-green in color, very clear and slightly cooler in taste.
Again, tones of fruit, sweet cream, umami, deepness and overall
refinement. A medium-long aftertaste; slightly lighter than before,
more refreshing and, for a second brew, still very sweet without any
sharp notes.

Two more infusions are
made of these leaves; the third one still a deep, complex brew with
sweet fruity and creamy notes, getting just a bit drier in the
ending.

The fourth, the final –
light green color, a lighter, drier and simpler taste, less deep,
though still mostly fruity, creamy and very clear. This taste stays
in the mouth for along time, the aftertaste still doesn't get any
less refined. All the sweetness and creaminess previously
encountered, still not planning to leave. Impressive.

I've purposely made the
taste notes shorter this time to get to the question already
mentioned in the name of this post - this tea seems almost perfect.
Sometimes I think it's too perfect, actually. There's this thing
about such high-grade, traditional Sencha teas, especially the
blended ones – they are very refined and good from all points of
view, mostly, which, actually, detracts a bit of surprise from the
experience. It is important to say that this has nothing to do with
quality of tea in any way – it's just a matter of personal
preference. I seem to enjoy teas that are able to surprise me, teas
that get stuck in my mind for whatever reason more than teas which
are just great – in a classic, conservative, traditional way. Just
one example, purposely from the same producer – Sencha Tsuyuhikari.

This tea, Sencha Kaori,
tastes exactly how it's supposed to taste. Exactly how a Sencha of
such a high grade is supposed to taste. There is absolutely nothing
wrong with that.

It's just that sometimes I
think tea is quite similar to people. When you're around someone who
is perfect all the time, there is quite a high chance you are going
to get bored.

Of course, these teas are
not meant to be consumed every day, so such case probably isn't going
to happen.

This is definitely a great
tea. Try it, drink it, enjoy it. You won't be disappointed.

You might not be
surprised. But, after all, that is not what these teas are meant to
do.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

So, just a quick reminder
– these teas come from Ohira tea estate located in Shizuoka and are
grown in what can be considered a mountainous area – elevation of
500-1000 meters.

Ohira's Sencha has
shorter, presumably middle-steamed leaves, lot of them broken, but
overall quite attractive, shiny and dark-green. Their smell is sweet,
fresh and slightly roasted.

The first infusion is
light green in color and just as light on tongue; its soft, clear
taste comprises tones of roasted nuts, almonds, creamy sweetness and
milkiness. This tea is far less fruity than most Senchas from
Shizuoka, instead providing an interesting combination of warm,
nut-like notes and light, soft character – in a way, it almost
reminded me of some higher-grade Kamairicha. Its aftertaste is quite
warm, sweet and very refined. This is something that Sencha Ohira
shares with its Kabuse counterpart – this unusual, refined
lightness and purity, that, in my opinion, might be a result of its
high-mountain origin. Interestingly, it keeps this lightness even
with higher dosage of leaves and longer brewing time. A big positive
in my eyes, especially with Japanese teas, which are often very easy
to overbrew.The second infusion is
again light green in color, while its taste is now slightly sharper
and slightly fruitier – tones of almonds, milk and plums. Though
still very soft and fine, this brew also gains on the typical Sencha
green freshness, while it loses a bit of the former roasted tone. Its
aftertaste is now more vivid; still warm and sweet, but less creamy
and more fruity.

The third infusion is
light green, completely transparent and has a taste profile similar
to the second brew. While quite sharp, it maintains the lightness,
purity and some of the former creamy sweetness, though it now
showcases more of the fruity tones – again, plums. These are
accompanied by slightly spicy nuances, as well as a hint of
woodiness. The aftertaste is medium-long, mouthfilling and less sweet
than before, dominated by fruity sharpness.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Peter Stanik, the owner of
Pu-erh.sk, kindly sent me samples of two new Japanese teas in his
offering, teas that seemed interesting just from reading the
description – one Sencha and one Kabusecha from Ohira tea estate, a
grower who's never sent his teas abroad before. Moreover, grown in
mountainous part of Shizuoka – when talking about Japanese teas,
elevation of 500-1000 meters above sea level can almost be considered
high-mountain.

The preheated Shiboridashi
intensifies this aroma. As the water cools down, the first infusion
is prepared – transparent, light yellow in color, with a taste that
is round, clear and light - lighter than most shaded or half-shaded
teas, actually. Tones of grapes, milk, hazelnuts and apple juice.
Though light overall, this brew also shows significant amount of
umami and warm, creamy sweetness. Long, refined aftertaste; not too
strong, not that aggressive, but indeed complex, deep and dominated
by green grapes and light sweetness. All this accompanied by a
calming effect on mind, again, different from most Kabuse teas –
again, quite light, yet perceivable.

The second infusion gains
strength as expected. Its color is now green, still transparent and
very clear. This brew tastes slightly sharper, though still very
light and pure, with strong umami, predominant fruity tone of apples
and grapes, followed by creamy sweetness, milk and nuts. The
aftertaste is, again, light but long, just a little shorter than
before, very pure and with nuances of fresh, green fruit, vanilla and
leaves an unexpected feeling, reminding me of pines and conifer
forests – a walk in the mountains, almost. I'm always fond of such
an effect in Japanese teas.

The third brew keeps the
second's green color and returns to the rounder character of the
first infusion, though providing less deepness and more of the nutty,
spicy tones with slightly weakened sweet, milky notes. Still very
pure and light, this brew has a medium-long aftertaste, more mouth
filling than before and dominated by vanilla, hazelnuts and apples.

One more infusion is
prepared with significantly hotter water; a touch of sweetness, green
freshness and spicy, woody simplicity. A warm, satisfying finish.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Yet another Houkouen tea –
Houkouen is the name of a company operated by Mr. Katahira, a
well-known Shizuoka farmer and producer.

Purchased from Slovak shop
Pu-erh.sk, this Sencha is made of a single cultivar – Tsuyuhikari.
Again, a classic in Mr. Katahira's offering, Tsuyuhikari is a breed
grown mostly in mountainous areas of Shizuoka.

This tea was picked in May 2012 and comes in a form of some really nice, shiny, long green needles. These leaves have a lovely fresh smell with tones of young fruit; this smell seems to be slightly lighter and fresher than that of most Sencha teas by Mr. Katahira (maybe with the exception of Koushun, which I will talk about soon, hopefully).

The first infusion is
yellow in color, slightly opaque and has a refreshing, clear taste
with tones of green grapes, young peas and overall freshness. This
tea is sweet, but not too sweet; also, being as refreshing as it is,
its taste is surprisingly deep and refined. It lacks any astringency
and instead leaves a long, evolving aftertaste which fills the mouth
with fruity coolness, mild sweetness and a very well-balanced amount
of light, green freshness.

Just few seconds of
brewing for the second infusion; the resulting cup is once again
yellow in color, though now more transparent. Its taste is slightly
sharper, warmer, dominated by tones of autumnal fruit – apples,
mostly. There are also some nutty and slightly spicy tones – and
even with all these notes, the freshness is still here, especially in
the aftertaste. It feels almost like a surprise – after such a warm
brew, the aftertaste feels unusually cool and refreshing. Another
part of this tea's interesting character.

The third infusion marks
the return of first brew's character, being lighter, almost
greenish-yellow in color, transparent and pure in taste with overall
lightness, freshness and tones of grapes, pears, young peas and just
slight nuttiness. Somehow, this one is the sweetest of all infusions.
The following aftertaste: moderately long, mild and refined. Fruit,
sweet cream, freshness.

One more brew is prepared.
Greenish-yellow, completely transparent, warm in character and quite
simple; this is a nice, nutty finish with mild woody and spicy
nuances. Warm enough not to leave you cold even on a chilly November
day like this.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

So many teas, so little
time! That's pretty much what's been on my mind for the past month or
so.

This Kabuse is just one of
seven Japanese teas that have been lying on my shelf for quite a long
time now, most of them since summer, and more are still coming –
not to talk about teas from other countries, as there is quite a lot
of them I would like to talk about as well.

Nevermind. Let's just hope
I will get more free time in the forthcoming days to cover them all.

This Kabuse (half-shaded)
tea is made of Okuyutaka breed and is quite a classic in Mr.
Katahira's offering. I purchased it from Slovak shop Pu-erh.sk,
operated by Peter Stanik.

Its leaves are typically
long needles, shiny and dark-green, with subtle, cultivated smell –
vivid sweetness, almonds, cream, milk and raspberries. Much more than
that, countless tones of various kinds of fruit, flowers and spices.
Such smell already showcases the complexity of this tea.

The water is cooled down
for the first infusion, which is light green in color and quite clear
and transparent at the beginning, though it gradually becomes opaque
as it cools down.

Its taste is very sweet,
round and with great amount of umami; a well-balanced experience for
tongue with numerous tones – hazelnuts, almonds, raspberries,
caramel, sweet cream and a warm character, reminiscent of high-grade
Gyokuro. Its aftertaste is a long one, filling the mouth with creamy
sweetness for a long time. It has a significant effect on mind as
well – at least in my case, this tea helps me to calm down a lot
(not in a sleepy way, though), though I've witnessed people saying it
has the opposite effect on them, actually giving them a lot of energy
(which is logical, considering the fact that Kabuse teas are
generally quite high in caffeine).

The second infusion is
yellowish-green, almost completely transparent and has a very vivid
taste. Even though, it still doesn't show any traces of bitterness or
even sharpness – this is one of the “roundest” teas I've
recently encountered. This brew is mostly dominated by fruity notes,
namely raspberries and a slight hint of sweet, ripe plums. As with
the previous infusion, the umami is very strong. So is the nuttiness
and sweetness. The aftertaste is once again quite long-lasting and,
just as the infusion itself, mostly dominated by various kinds of
fruit and overall warmness.

The third brew has a light
green color, medium transparency and is slightly sharper in taste,
which now possess a mild refreshing side to it as well. This infusion
is a bit less deep than the previous two, being mostly fruity, spicy
and with shorter, more vivid aftertaste.

One final infusion is made
of these leaves, similar in character to the third brew, just a bit
flatter and simpler. Nuances of spices, fruit and sharpness. Some
nuts, some slight woodiness. Quite a refreshing, nice finish.

In the end, I must say
that Mr. Katahira's Okuyutaka Kabusecha has probably been my favorite
amongst his teas for a long time – and this year, it seems to have
turned out exceptionally well.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Another Sencha from
Teamountain's offering – this time, a humbler, inexpensive one.
Purchased from Slovak shop Nomad, this Yabukita-breed tea comes from
a less-known area of Kōchi prefecture, located on Shikoku island –
which made me even more curious about it.

Packed in a typically
beautiful golden-yellow bag, its leaves come in a form of
surprisingly good-looking, long Asamushi needles. They emit quite a
simple, fruity smell with notable freshness.

With such humble tea,
humble, simple character is what I expect and desire. This tea
fulfills the expectations for a good everyday Sencha – it remains
steadily enjoyable during all infusions, having a mostly sweet,
well-balanced taste with notes of green grapes, nuts and milk. No
traces of bitterness – or anything unpleasant, actually. It leaves
an equally simple, sweet aftertaste, which doesn't last too long, but
feels pleasant and refreshing nevertheless. One thing worth noting is
that its character really seems different – it didn't remind me of
teas from Shizuoka, Uji or Kyushu, instead being quite original on
its own. It might be interesting to look deeper into tea production
of Kōchi, for me a completely unexplored area before this tea (at
least as far as I can remember, for my memory isn't always that
reliable).

For me, this tea was a
nice surprise among this year's offering of inexpensive Japanese
teas. This post isn't going to contain any more words, just one
sentence to sum it up: it's simple, it's good.

Friday, September 7, 2012

When thinking about last
year and its teas, memory of one particular Sencha stands above the
rest. Asanaoka Kirishima, with a character unique and excellent
enough to be well-remembered even a year later – see notes on the 2011 version here.

This year, we're lucky
again, as Teamountain offered a fresh version of the same tea. And
just like last year, I immediately purchased it from Slovak shop
Nomad.sk. A handpicked, Asamushi (light-steamed) tea made of Asanoka
breed from Makizono near the Kirishima mountain, Kagoshima
prefecture. A product of Mr. Nishi, a regular tea-competitions
attendant.

Similar to last year,
these beautiful leaves are a bit shorter and smaller than those of
most Asamushi teas, placing them more on a border between Asamushi
and Chumushi (middle-steamed). They are shiny and dark-green, darker
than many Senchas – almost reminding me of Gyokuro. Their smell is
also putting them aside from the typical Sencha character, being much
sweeter, creamier, deeper and softer.

Memories of last year's
version are taken into account and water is cooled down more than it
would usually be to enhance the sweetness even more. The resulting
first infusion is light-yellow in color, completely clear in
transparency and with a very pure, refined taste, comprising tones of
milk, sweet green grapes, young peas and a creamy sweetness with
significant amount of umami. This taste lingers on tongue for a long
time, also having a noteworthy effect on mind, making it very relaxed
– and just as pure as the tea itself.

Compared to the memories
and notes of last year's version, the 2012 Asanaoka Kirishima feels
lighter compared to its heavier, almost Gyokuro-like predecessor.
This adds a new hint of refreshment and enriches the tea's character
in an interesting way, also pointing to its small-scale production –
never the same tea, each season is slightly different (though
consistent in terms of quality).

The second infusion loses
a bit of the former creaminess and develops a new, more fruity tone –
green apples, green grapes, pears, an overload of green sweetness.
These nuances are, of course, followed by strong umami and overall
refined purity, keeping the complexity of previous brew. As expected,
the aftertaste is slightly shorter and simpler now, being cooler,
moderately sweet, fruit and without any trace of bitterness.

The third infusion is once
again light-yellow in color and can be described as a nice mixture of
nuances typical for the first and the second infusion. While keeping
the green fruitiness, the creamy, milky tones return in a more vivid
way as well along with slight traces of hazelnuts. In terms of
length, the aftertaste is similar to the second infusion, though it
feels more pronounced on tongue, mostly comprising the creamy
milkiness, accompanied by a bit drier nuttiness.

One more infusion is made;
a sharper, simpler and refreshing drink, still quite sweet and
fruity, with predominant dry nutty nuances.

As noted before, the 2012
Sencha Asanaoka Kirishima is different from last year's tea. Apart
from being lighter, another interesting difference is the color of
brew – while last year showed a vividly green drink, this year, the
tea is more on the yellow side.

The 2012 is different –
and, maybe thanks to this difference as well, at least equally
enjoyable.

Monday, August 13, 2012

This is another tea from
Mr. Katahira's farm in Nunosawa, Shizuoka imported by Teamountain that I purchased on my recent visit to Brno's Probuzeny Slon
teahouse. A classic tea found in their offering for years, this is a
very high-grade Kabusecha made of Yabukita breed that, according to
its description, competes in various tea competitions every year.

Its leaves are beautiful –
long, uniform dark-green needles that really make this tea attractive
on the first sight. Their smell is deep, milky and fruity, quite
typical for good half-shaded teas – ripe fruit combined with fresh
greenness.

Kabuse teas are ideal for
experimenting – they are, after all, on a half way between Sencha
and Gyokuro and using different leaf to water ratio and different
water temperatures can lead to very different and very interesting
results. However, I most commonly prepare them similarly to the way
they're made – something between Sencha and Gyokuro, both in the
amount of leaves, brewing time and temperature (slightly cooler water
than Sencha and slightly smaller amount of leaves than in Gyokuro).

The first infusion
prepared this way is light yellow in color, very clear and has a
soft, complex taste made of various tones – plums, grapes, milk,
nutty sweetness and nuttiness. Vivid umami note mixes with fresh
greenness and creates an interesting combination – while the tea
itself seems warmer in character thanks to the sweet, 'shaded'
nuances, it has a cooling, fresh finish and long, similarly
diversified yet complex aftertaste.

The second infusion is
greener in color, stronger in taste and still very sweet in character
– I was originally expecting this brew to be more Sencha-like, but
instead got another refined, creamy infusion with vivid umami and
nutty sweetness. It also feels very heavy on tongue, reminding me of
some lighter Gyokuros. The aftertaste may be a bit shorter than
before, but still is a strong one with sweet tones of milk, caramel
and just a hint of ripe fruit.

The following brew is
light-green in color, sharper in taste and now dominated by spicy,
fruity notes, though still strong on the sweet side without any trace
of bitterness. In a way, it almost reminded me of apple in caramel
and cinnamon. These notes are followed by a shorter, simpler
aftertaste which is sweet, slightly spicy and nutty.

Friday, August 10, 2012

On my recent trip to Brno,
I have finally tasted and purchased some 2012 Japanese green teas.
Visiting both of my favorite teahouses, I first enjoyed tasting
Teamountain's Sencha Tsuyuhikari in Sklenena Louka (previously
mentioned here) and then bought some other teas – also from
Teamountain – for home consumption in Probuzeny Slon.

Sencha Harukaze is a light
steamed tea from Shizuoka, grown by Mr. Katahira, whose teas have
been in Teamountain offering for years and have been mentioned many
times on this blog. However, last year saw unavailability of these
teas as well as most other teas from Shizuoka – this year, though,
all of Katahira's teas successfully passed radiation tests as safe
and are, to my delight, back in offering.

Harukaze is a blended tea,
consisting of three different breeds - 75% Yabukita, 15% Okumidori
and 10% Kurasawa. Its leaves are good-looking, long, shiny green
needles, typical for good Asamushi teas.

They smell fresh, fruity
and deep – a bit like young, unripe peaches and grapes.

Water is cooled down for
the first infusion which is light yellowish-green, mostly clear with
just a slight opaqueness and fresh, sweet smell. This applies to
taste as well – it's very sweet, mouthfilling, fruity and somehow
heavy – heavier than many other fresh Sencha teas, this one
inclines towards a taste bit reminiscent of grape must. Still, it's
very refined and pure, with vivid freshness of a tea made just
recently. The following aftertaste is a long one, slightly astringent
(in a good way though) and reminded me of fresh red currant.

The second infusion is
poured down immediately and shows typically greener, though still
very clear infusion and sharper character. The taste of red currant
and unripe grapes gets stronger, followed by a much cooler mouthfeel
than before, giving the tea a new, very refreshing note. Its
aftertaste has similar character – it's shorted and less
mouthfilling as well as less sweet than that of the previous brew,
but instead much cooler and fresher with predominant tones of young
fruit and a small trace of sweetness.

The third infusion gets
back to the more refined character of the first one, though being a
bit drier and with a subtle woodiness. It also lacks most of the
previously found sweetness, now being simpler and more refreshing
than the previous brews with a shorter aftertaste.

One more brew is made of these leaves, now a very simple, refreshing drink with clear light-yellow color and spicy and woody tones in taste. A satisfying last sip.

Finally, a short note on
some new members of my tea-ware collection, as seen in this post –
I recently got three of these little teacups from Petr Novak during
Bratislava's Festeaval. A beautiful, handmade thin white porcelain
which evolves with every use, showing new cracks all over its
surface, gradually creating a thick spiderweb – it is always a
pleasure to watch tea ware live its own life like this, encouraging
me to use it as often as possible.

About Me

Necessary to say, I'm not a native English speaker (as you have probably already figured out from my entries), so please forgive me my mistakes and limited use of language. Other than that, I am an eternal student deeply appreciating good tea and all joys connected to it. Among my other interests is poetry – apart from reading, I also try to do my best in writing it. Then goes film, which is a big passion of mine as well as my field of study. Naturally, I would like to continue and deepen these interests in the future.